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Sabbath School Today, Volume 9 - Paul E. Penno

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years of Ellen White's long lifetime, she constantly identified the Seventhday<br />

Adventist Church as that "remnant." Yet even in her day there were<br />

unfaithful leaders and pastors who taught error and even apostasy, whom she<br />

rebuked, corrected, and sometimes even denounced.<br />

Then it was discovered that Christ's message to the seventh church of<br />

history had become applicable: the church was "Laodicea," the one whose<br />

worldly lukewarmness made the Lord so nauseous that He felt like throwing<br />

up (Rev. 3:14-21). Now a battle rages in people's minds and hearts: is that<br />

last organization into a "body of Christ" doomed to eventual failure? Or is a<br />

corporate repentance possible (and sure)? Can the dream be recovered?<br />

The 1888 General Conference brings us to our modern times; we learn<br />

that our own brethren virtually "rejected Christ" and "insulted" [1] the Holy<br />

Spirit in negative reactions against the message that was the "beginning" of<br />

the latter rain. This also occurred before any of us were born; but it is not<br />

enough to write off this history as past and not realize how we would do the<br />

same if we had the "opportunity" unless we specifically repent of that sin.<br />

The Lord Himself, not an official committee nor an independent<br />

ministry, will "shake" this church, cleanse and purify it. But He has to have<br />

human agents with whom to work. The reason why the final events have not<br />

yet taken place may well be that those who do "sigh and cry" are doing so<br />

negatively instead of positively. To "sigh and cry" does not mean to wring<br />

one's hands in despair; it means to do something to help. Of ourselves we are<br />

powerless to stem the rising tide of evil, but we can seek to save every soul<br />

that our sphere of influence may touch.<br />

All believers in Christ need the discipline of fellowship with a larger<br />

number of brethren and sisters whose association can be used by the Holy<br />

Spirit for the maturing of their Christian experience. (The Lord sees that one<br />

way we must learn to "gather warmth" is from "the coldness of others." [2]).<br />

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